Part I

1. Atmosphere: the envelope of gases surrounding the earth or another planet 2. Methane: a colorless, odorless flammable gas that is the main constituent of natural gas. It is the simplest member of the alkane series of hydrocarbons 3. Ammonia: a colorless gas with a characteristic pungent smell. It dissolves in water to give a strongly alkaline solution 4. Chemical Reaction: a process that involves rearrangement of the molecular or ionic structure of a substance, as opposed to a change in physical form or a nuclear reaction 5. Solar Energy: radiant energy emitted by the sun 6. Carbon Dioxide: a colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration. It is naturally present in air (about 0.03 percent) and is absorbed by plants in photosynthesis 7. Hydrogen: a colorless, odorless, highly flammable gas, the chemical element of atomic number 1 8. Gravity: the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. For most purposes Newton's laws of gravity apply, with minor modifications to take the general theory of relativity into account 9. Oxygen: a colorless, odorless reactive gas, the chemical element of atomic number 8 and the life-supporting component of the air. Oxygen forms about 20 percent of the earth's atmosphere, and is the most abundant element in the earth's crust, mainly in the form of oxides, silicates, and carbonates 10. Ozone: a colorless unstable toxic gas with a pungent odor and powerful oxidizing properties, formed from oxygen by electrical discharges or ultraviolet light. It differs from normal oxygen (O2) in having three atoms in its molecule (O3) 11. Ultraviolet radiation: one form of energy coming from the sun. Even though you may have only just started hearing about UV and the effects it has on you, it is nothing new. In fact, UV is as old as the earth itself 12. Microorganism: a microscopic organism 13. Bacteria: microscopic living organisms, usually one-celled, that can be found everywhere. They can be dangerous, such as when they cause infection, or beneficial, as in the process of fermentation (such as in wine) and that of decomposition

14. Photosynthesis: the process by which green plants and some other organisms use sunlight to synthesize foods from carbon dioxide and water. Photosynthesis in plants generally involves the green pigment chlorophyll and generates oxygen as a byproduct 15. Composition: the nature of something's ingredients or constituents; the way in which a whole or mixture is made up

Part II
1. What chemical process would you identify as being responsible for the disappearance of methane and ammonia and the presence of nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen in the Earths atmosphere? Explain. A chemical reaction triggered by sunlight dissociated the methane and ammonia, and caused nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide to form. The chemical reaction was the composition of the Earths atmosphere 2. Could animals have lived on ancient Earth before green plants? Explain. No. they couldnt have because the plant had no oxygen for them to breathe it only had nitrogen and carbon dioxide. 3. Scientist are concerned that certain chemicals when released into the atmosphere cause the level of the ozone to decrease. Predict what might happen to living things on Earth if the ozone layer continues to decrease. We will all burn up because the ozone layer is protecting us from harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun but greenhouse gasses damages the ozone layer bringing in more and more UV rays and if the ozone layer was to be completely broken we will all burn up and die from the UV rays

Part III

4 Billion Years ago

Earth contained two deadly gases methane, water vapor and ammonia 3.8 Billion Years ago

A complex photochemical reaction among the methane, ammonia and water vapor in the air were triggered by incoming solar energy. As a result of these and many other reactions, new materials formed in the atmosphere, among them, nitrogen, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. 3.6 Billion Years ago

Water vapor molecules also encountered solar energy, were broken down and release more hydrogen atoms into the atmosphere, as well as atoms of oxygen. 3.5 Billion Years ago

As the level of ozone in the atmosphere increased, a layer was formed in the stratosphere, about 30 km above the Earths surface, known as the ozone layer 700 Million Years ago

Blue-green bacteria used the energy in the sunlight to combine in the air with water to produce food and release oxygen. These organisms were the first photosynthesizes. The only reason they were able to come to surface was because of the ozone layer blocking UV rays. 600 Million Years ago

The amounts of oxygen and carbon dioxide began to level off and acquire their present atmospheric concentrations. Since then, the composition of the atmosphere has been fairly constant. 350 Million Years ago

The plant started to have life plants and trees were everywhere no place on earth where there wasnt something green and soon after life (dinosaurs) on the plant came to be